WILL IAM GOLD ING AND H ISTOR ICAL INFLUENCES ON THE NOVEL

INTRODUCTION TO LORD OF THE FLIES

WILLIAM GOLDING

• Born in Cornwall, England, in 1911

• Graduated from Oxford University

• Became a schoolmaster for a year after marrying Ann Brockfield in 1939

• Heavily influenced by his father, an English schoolmaster, who believed strongly in science and rational

• switched his University major from Science to English Literature after two years in college—a crucial change that marked the beginning of Golding's disillusion with the rationalism of his father.

GOLDING AND WWII

• Joined the Navy in 1940

• Golding’s service in WWII was the single event in Golding's life that most affected his writing of Lord of the Flies

• Raised in the sheltered environment of a private English school, Golding was unprepared for the violence unleashed by the war.

• He later described his experience in the war as one in which "one had one's nose rubbed in the human condition."

• After the war, Golding returned to teaching English and philosophy

• During the next nine years, from 1945 until 1954, he wrote three versions of his ideas for a novel that were rejected. He initially titled it Strangers from Within.

• After reading a bedtime boys adventure story to his small children, Golding wondered out loud to his wife whether it would be a good idea to write such a story but to let the characters "behave as they really would."

• With his wife’s encouragement, Golding finally got the ideas which had been germinating in his mind on paper and wrote Lord of the Flies.

CREATION OF LORD OF THE FLIES

GOLDING

• "he was a very complicated man, with a deep self-loathing, which I cannot really explain”

• It was not just that Golding was unusually conscious of the incipient darkness in everyday life, a quality exemplified by Lord of the Flies, it was also that, as Judy puts it, "he refused to look away. He was alert to the darkness and this came from the war and it stayed with him. A lot of people, veterans in the 50s, took a different attitude to the war. They said: 'Well, that was then; this is now,' and got on with their lives. Daddy didn't do that. The war cropped up, as an experience, all the way through my childhood."

"ANTHEM FOR A DOOMED YOUTH”BY WILFRED OWEN

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?--Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattleCan patter out their hasty orisons.No mockeries for them from prayers or bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyesShall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;Their flowers the tenderness of silent minds,And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 1: THE SOUND OF THE SHELL

LORD OF THE FLIES

WILLIAM GOLDING’S INTRODUCTION

• His inspiration how did he think it up?• His motivation what did he want to write about?• His reason for only including boys 3 reasons why

he couldn’t include girls

1. His own experience as a boy

2. Boys more likely to behave like a scaled-down version of society, girls cannot appear as an image of society3. All boys focus more on problem of evil and problem of how people are to live with others in society

MEETING THE BOYS

• “The boy with fair hair” (p.?)• “He tried to be offhand and not too obviously

uninterested” (p.?)• “but then the delight of realised ambition

overcame him”• “The fat boy waited to be asked his name in turn

but this proffer of acquaintance was not made” (p.?)

WHO is this?Already we have several characteristics of him WHAT are they?

MEETING THE BOYS

• So the next person we meet is..?

• A voice• “ ‘I can’t hardly move’”• “greasy wind-breaker”• “He was shorter than the fair boy and very fat.” (p.?)• “The fat boy hung unsteadily at his shoulder.” • “ ‘My auntie told me not to run…on account of my

asthma.’” (p.?)

• What do you think of him?

SYMBOL: THE CONCH

• Symbol = A symbol is a person, place, or thing comes to represent an abstract idea or concept -- it is anything that stands for something beyond itself.

• Conch = a spiral shell, sometimes used as a horn

• Conch as a symbol of ___________?

GAMES AND WAR

• Recall that children’s games are actually closely linked to events/actions that are part of the adult world, especially that of war

• Almost all games have an element of violence and survival in them

(i) Sports emphasise on physical prowess, strength and ability. Olympic Games VS battles/games played by Ancient Romans in the Collosseum

(ii) Board games/strategy games are based on the idea of who can last/survive the longest using a combination of tactics and luck e.g Monopoly, Battleship, Pac-Man

(iii) Even games like ‘Police and Thief’ or a game of catch have roots in hunting and stalking prey/enemies

GAMES AND WAR

GAMES AND WAR

• Look at pg 33(last line) - 35 : a game of exploration and adventure, boys are thrilled by their discovery and exploration of the island

• “Come on –”• “But not ‘Come on’ to the top. The assault on the summit

must wait while the three boys accepted this challenge. The rock was as large as a small motor car.” (pg 36)

• What is this ‘challenge’ referring to?• “Like a bomb!” (pg 37)

• Why is this reference to a bomb ironic? Think about the context of the novel and the setting of the island.

• What might it suggest about how the boys are going to behave/act on the island? Or about the situation on the island later on?

MAP OF THE ISLAND

MOUNTAIN

CASTLE ROCK

SIMON’S HIDEOUT AND THE LORD OF THE FLIES

ASSEMBLY AREA

LAGOON AND SHELTERS

ANOTHER IMAGE OF THE ISLAND

INNOCENCE

“The pause was only long enough for them to understand what an enormity the downward stroke would be.” (pg. 40)

“They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood.” (pg. 41)

1. In your own words, why could Jack not bear to kill the pig?

2. What might have caused him to hesitate?

3. How might he have felt?

INNOCENCE

“ ‘I was going to,’ said Jack. He was ahead of them and they could not see his face. ‘I was choosing a place. Next time -- !’ “(pg. 41)

How might Jack be feeling here? Look at the quote below. Why might he be determined to strike the next time?

“He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy.” (pg. 41)

What is the significance of the part highlighted in red? What effect does it create?

RECAP OF CHAPTER ONE: SOUND OF THE SHELL

- The island as a paradiseWhy does Golding set it up in this manner? reference to fictional adventures: The Coral Island

- Introduction to the main charactersRalph, Piggy, Jack, Roger and SimonWhat is your impression of the characters?What is the relationship between the boys like?

- Establishing law and order: choosing a leaderSymbol: the conchRalph VS Jack; Ralph elected as leader

- Fun and games VS warBoys’ exploration of the island, reference to war in

the outside world“Like a bomb!”

- Innocence Jack’s hesitance in killing the pig: why?Foreshadowing of future events

** Remember to highlight the quotes that relate to the above points and write down short notes beside them to explain their significance/relation

CHAPTER TWO:FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

OVERVIEW

• An assembly Assessment on their situation, setting up of rules

• One of the smaller boys, with a mulberry coloured birthmark, bring up the topic of a ‘beast’

The first feelings of fear

• Plan to get rescued start a fire to get attention from passing ships

• Boys get overexcited/went overboard to start a firefire goes out of control Piggy reprimands the other boys

• Boy with the birthmark goes missing during the fire

TODAY’S FOCUS

We will be looking at one of the major themes in the novel today…

Take 5 minutes to write down your response to the quote on the next slide

THE ISLAND AS A PARADISE…

• “But this is a good island.” (pg 45)• “This is our island. It’s a good island.

Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun.”• “There’s food and drink…”, “Rocks –”,

“Blue flowers –”

What is ironic about Ralph’s words here?

OR NOT…

“He wants to know what you’re going to do about the snake-thing.”“Now he says it was a beastie.”“A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it.” (pg 46)

What are snakes usually associated with?

What do you think is significant about the appearance of a ‘beast’, that ‘snake-thing’?

PARADISE

• An island paradise (“a good island”) with beautiful scenery and an abundance of food and drink • Sudden introduction to a “snake-thing” or a

“beastie”

• What does this closely resemble? Think about the religious associations.

The story of the Garden of

Eden

THEME OF EVIL

Satan tempted Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the guise of a snake.

Therefore motif of snakes usually associated with- Evil/Sin- The devil- Adam and Eve’s expulsion

from Eden The fall of Man

“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”

• “You couldn’t have a beastie, a snake-thing, on an island this size,” Ralph explained kindly. “You only get them in big countries like Africa, or India.”

• “He was dreaming.”

• “The older boys agreed; but here and there among the little ones was the dubiety that required more than rational assurance,”

• “But there isn’t a beastie!”• “But there isn’t a snake!”• “But there isn’t a beast!” • “But I tell you there isn’t a beast!”

How does Ralph’s tone change here as shown through the quotes above? (pg 47- 48). Why? How might Ralph be feeling?

THE FIRE

• “The flame, nearly invisible at first…enveloped a small twig, grew, was enriched with colour…exploded with a sharp crack…” (pg 53)

• “scrambled up like a bright squirrel…leapt on the wings of the wind…eating downwards…laid hold of the forest and began to gnaw…”

• “The flames…crept as a jaguar creeps on its belly…branches grew a brief foliage of fire…swinging and flaring along…”

• “…forest was savage with smoke and flame. The separate noises of the fire merged into a drum-roll that seemed to shake the mountain.” (pg 57)

What is fire associated with?

THE FIRE

• “Startled, Ralph realized that the boys were falling still and silent, feeling the beginnings of awe at the power set free below them. The knowledge and the awe made him savage.” (pg 57)

• What is this knowledge referring to?

Compare the above quote with the one below:

“After all, we’re not savages. We’re English; and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things.” (pg 55)

How is Jack’s quote ironic?

FROM PARADISE TO HELL

• “Piggy glanced nervously into hell and cradled the conch.”

• “How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper?”

• “The crowd was as silent as death.”

• “A tree exploded in the fire like a bomb.”• “Snakes! Snakes! Look at the snakes!• “ – where is he now?”• “Ralph muttered the reply as if in shame.”

Why would Ralph feel shameful?

Thinking back on the reference to the Garden of Eden, what could the ‘evil’/‘sin’ be here? How have the boys ‘fallen’ in this chapter?